The Slippery Slope

Well, I have been wanting a Bailey pattern 4 1/2 smoother for sometime now, but I am frugal, no darn it, I’m just plain cheap. I have been watching eBay and just not up for spending $30 to $50 bucks plus shipping. So inspired by WayneC and David’s blogs on plane rehabilitation, I decided to bid on an ugly duckling user plane, and after consulting with Thos. Angle decided to escape the blood and gore and take a shot at a Sargent model 410.
I finally got a hunk of metal I cou...

Well it’s a red letter day here in Nebraska. My Sargent 410 showed up in the mail, and it’s rusty, finished is cracked, but it’s functional and will be ready for it’s bath soon. But this blog is about to be hijacked by an event of more personal significance, albeit a galootish event as well.
Long story short, I have done a little side work on some photos for Thomas Angle, who is working up a web page for Owyhee Design, the woodworking arm of his two businesses (The ...

I have ordered a Hock replacement iron for my rehab plane. A slight change in course has occurred, in that once the rust came off and I was able to determine the actual model of my rust bucket, it has become apparent that it is a Sargent 409, the equivalent of a Stanley #4, not a #4 1/2. The Sargent does have a slightly wider and longer casting than the equivalent Stanley, so in it should be a heavier plane, but it does have a 2˝ iron, not 2 3/8˝. Oh well, I still can’t quibble with th...

Finally after using WayneC's citric acid technique, lapping the sole flat, grinding the sides square to the sole, and using David's modified Parkerization technique ; stripping the tote and knob and refinishing them with toned Danish oil and salad bowl finish and sharpening the blade with the scary sharp method it is a pleasure to introduce Sarge. If you missed the middle installments (2 and 3), I discovered that this rust bucket refugee is actually a #409. There isn’t a resource I...

I have made an acquaintance with an accomplished engraver who has taken some beautiful high-end planes to an entirely different level with the addition of one-of-a-kind engraving work. Obviously this represents hours of detailed work with SEVERE attention to detail. I thought that some of you that have a place in your smoother stable for collectors pieces should see these.
Catherine had this to say about them: “I have 2 planes for sale: #3 Stanley for ...